The present invention relates, in general, to a dashboard support for a motor vehicle.
Nothing in the following discussion of the state of the art is to be construed as an admission of prior art.
A dashboard support extends between the A-pillars of a motor vehicle, such as a passenger car, and is also called “cross member”. The dashboard support is typically made of tubes, profiled elements, or pressed shells. Various mounts or castings are hereby attached to the dashboard support in order to be able to link further functional components to the dashboard support, such as, for example, airbag, air conditioning unit, or bracket for the steering. In addition, the dashboard support is required to meet vibration standards and stringent static demands to sufficiently stiffen the passenger cell.
German utility model no. DE 299 16 467 describes a dashboard support which includes a support beam with integrated air cooling. The support beam is divided into interconnected beam members which suit the load exposure on the driver side and the passenger side, respectively, with the driver-side beam member having an air guiding channel. Different cross section profiles and material pairs are therefore possible. An air gap is provided between the air guiding channel and the beam member and is bridged by several fixing tabs which are directed outwards and spaced about the periphery of the air guiding channel. The fixing tabs align the air guiding channel inside the beam member in a rattling-free manner. The fixing tabs can be configured as nubs to provide an air gap between the beam member and the air guiding channel. Nubs or fixing tabs do not allow a securement of the air guiding channel transversely to the travel direction.
A proper positioning of an air guiding channel in a dashboard support requires a correct securement in all of its degrees of freedom. The six degrees of freedom involve three translational and three rotary degrees of freedom in the Cartesian coordinate system. A correct securement is absolutely required in order to be able to connect an air supply to one end of the air guiding channel and to be able to correctly mount the so-called upper passenger compartment outlet. on the other end. The precise alignment of the air guiding channel is also necessary to prevent flow-generated noise which should be avoided in particular at the attachment sites of the air guiding channel because the lateral offset between adjacent components is responsible for interfering turbulences in the flow channel.
The air guiding channel can be brought into spotwise contact along its outer surface area with the inside wall of the dashboard support for alignment in five of six degrees of freedom. Restriction of the sixth degree of freedom i.e. the translation in +Y/−Y direction, i.e. transversely to the travel direction and in longitudinal direction of the cross member, respectively, can be realized by positioning an air outlet of the air guiding channel upon a respective opening in the dashboard support. This is time-consuming and costly as the installation requires a threading of the air guiding channel with its air outlet in the opening.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved dashboard support to obviate prior art shortcomings and to allow easy and cost-efficient installation.